MEDIA TALK

Channel 2 Too Close For Comfort?

December 23, 1998|By Jim Kirk.

A CBS-Ch. 2 vehicle last week got too close to an FBI stakeout, leaving some reporters concerned the foul-up may cause law enforcement officials to sharply curtail access to similar surveillances in the future.

Last week, while authorities kept watch over a police officer suspected of running a drug operation, someone noticed an unmarked truck apparently following them.

That caused some consternation; officials on the scene worried their cover was blown and the truck might hold members of the alleged drug ring tailing the officers. An FBI spokeswoman on Tuesday said the vehicle, which turned out to be carrying a Channel 2 field producer and crew, "was not identified," meaning no one had tipped off the authorities that the truck was owned by a news organization.

Reporters concede that in surveillance situations, there is a delicate balance between staying out of the way and keeping close enough to cover the story.

In this instance, however, authorities apparently thought Channel 2 was too close.

"We were going out, and we wanted to know every player in the area," said FBI spokeswoman Virginia Wright.

The truck was eventually identified by agents, who approached the vehicle. The station quickly backed off and the subject of the stakeout, Joseph Miedzianowski, was arrested.

But the event has some broadcast reporters concerned.

"This is the type of thing that gives us a bad name," said a reporter from a competing station who has been on similar stakeouts. "You have to be really careful."

Jeff Bartlett, Channel 2 news director, said the station didn't have a "recognizable reporter" in the vehicle at the time, which may have contributed to the confusion.

He also said the station had not received any negative calls from law enforcement officials regarding the incident.

Sports report: NBC-Ch. 5 news executives swiped another behind-the-scenes production executive from a rival station. This time, the station went to WGN-Ch. 9 and plucked 10-year sports producer Nick Mitrovich to be executive producer over Channel 5's sports department.

Richards in the Madhouse? It appears that shock jock Mancow Muller may have tried to get his former program director, Dave Richards, to come over to Muller's new station, WKQX-FM 101.1

Richards, who was one of the objects of Muller's periodic on-air rants against management at WRCX-FM 103.5, has apparently met with WKQX management

in recent weeks.

But Chuck Hillier, general manager of WKQX, said there are no plans to hire Richards.

Nevertheless, sources at the station say the shock jock, Chicago's highest-paid radio personality, has pushed hard to get him.

The bet here is that the $3 million man will get his wish--

especially if he rants long enough to WKQX owner Emmis Broadcasting.

Tironi to the `Beat': Joe Tironi, overnight host of Hartford, Conn.'s KISS-FM 95.7, is coming to WRCX-FM 103.5 to be afternoon host of the "Jammin Oldies" station. Tironi starts Jan. 11, according to Jay Beau Jones, new station program director.

Tironi is the second on-air hire in a week for the station, which recently flipped to a Motown oldies format. Coco Cortez, who did a stint as a WBBM-FM 96.3 personality, starts with the station Monday as midday personality.

Closing the curtain: WMAQ-AM 670 will air the final broadcast of "Mystery Theater" at 11 p.m. Thursday night. The station announced earlier this fall that it was replacing the program with "When Radio Was" after "Mystery Theater's" distributor pulled the plug on the show.

On Christmas Day, the station will feature a daylong "When Radio Was" feature after live news programming ends for the day at 9 a.m.